Mee and Lowton In with a chance of returning

Both Ben Mee and Matt Lowton have a chance of returning to face Stoke City tomorrow night.

Mee lost his ever-present status in the Premier League when sitting out Saturday’s 1-0 win over Watford at Turf Moor after having stitches above his knee following the 1-0 defeat at Leicester City.

And Lowton has missed the last three with a knee problem after starting all 13 Premier League games up to that point.

Kevin Long deputised for Mee on Saturday, while former Potter Phil Bardsley has done well in the absence of Lowton, and Sean Dyche assessed the pair: “Lowts has a chance but I am not so sure.

”Possibly improbable I would say for this. He is close.

”Ben Mee has got a chance but we have to make a decision because of the nature of it.

”He was touch and go for the weekend so we will make a decision.

”But Kevin Long did well so I am pleased with him.”

Club captain Tom Heaton has been out since September with a dislocated shoulder, but is progressing nicely: “He is on schedule so we are pleased with that but it’s not one you can rush, particularly with a goalkeeper for obvious reasons.

”The team are happy with it, and he is happy with it at the minute. He is progressing nicely.”

And there is no update on Robbie Brady after the successful operation on his ruptured patellar tendon: “We will have to wait and see. All I know at the moment is the operation went well.

”They are pleased with that. He is recovering at the moment and it is too early to worry about the long-term view.

Burnley have been unlucky with long-term injuries while Dyche has been at the helm, losing Sam Vokes, Dean Marney twice, Long and Lukas Jutkiewicz to serious knee problems, while Heaton, Jon Walters (knee) and Brady have added to that list this term.

But there is little you can do about that sort of injury, and Burnley’s record with soft tissue injuries is very good: “We have been unlucky with serious knee injuries.

”Soft tissues we have done well and I am pleased with the medical team and the sports science team do.

”With the big injuries we have been a bit unfortunate over the past few years.

”But that’s the way it goes. Another random injury, if you saw the incident it’s a freak chance. That sometimes happens with freak twists and turns of the body.”

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